Though critics are divided when it comes to the plot of Blade Runner 2049—is it too slow? Too nebulous?—nearly all of them agree that it’s an incredibly beautiful movie. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, with cinematography by the inimitable Roger Deakins,Blade Runner 2049 is an aesthetic feast, a sumptuous world rich with dusky orange landscapes and highly stylized dystopian wreckage. In the spirit of this lush new film, let’s take a look back at some of the most stunning sci-fi classics in film history.

Metropolis

Fritz Lang’s 1927 German expressionist classic has influenced countless films, not least because it’s a timeless paean to the Art Deco movement. Set in 2026, Metropolis imagines a world of bright lights, towering buildings—like Manhattan on steroids—and impossibly chic robots.

Photo: From Everett Collection.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick’s legendary 1968 film about humans traversing the universe lived up to the gargantuan promise of the word “odyssey,” starting with the daring opening scene set to “Thus Spoke Zarathustra.” Everything was immaculately designed, from the pristine spaceship with its glowing red emergency hatch, to the impressively rendered space walks.

Photo: From MGM/Stanley Kubrick Productions/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic, which is just about to turn 40, gave us some of the most enduring alien-adventure imagery of our time. From the Lite-Brite flying U.F.O. zipping across the starry sky, to the tableau of workers set against the stunning desert landscape, Encounters is one for the ages.

Photo: From Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

E.T.

E.T. himself wasn’t a looker, but the movie sure was. Steven Spielberg grounded the film with looming, exterior shots of Culver City, then flung Elliott’s adventures deep into the sun-dappled heart of the ethereal Redwood National Park.

Photo: From Universal/Everett Collection.

Under the Skin

Few movies are as darkly disarming as Jonathan Glazer’s 2014 thriller, filmed half in Scotland’s bustling city streets, half in its surreal natural landscapes. Scarlett Johansson’s man-eating alien also brings her prey back to a pitch-black cave with a deep pool, like something truly out of a nightmare.

Photo: From Everett Collection.

Ex Machina

Alex Garland’s 2015 stunner takes place largely in one home—but what an unbelievably gorgeous home it is, a high-tech wonderland nestled deep into a verdant forest. The brilliant design extends to everything from the luxe-yet-minimalist decor, to the aesthetic of the main robot (played by Alicia Vikander), her translucent body only partially sheathed in skin.

Photo: From Everett Collection.

Arrival

Before tackling Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve polished his sci-fi chops with Arrival, the slow-burning vehicle about a linguist trying to communicate with aliens. Though the drama is mostly contained to military quarters and the room with the aliens, Villeneuve shows off a little by featuring a massive, oblong spaceship floating just above the ground of a foggy, grassy field. Bradford Young’s rich cinematography, inspired by the darkly beautiful photography of Martina Hoogland Ivanow, ups the film’s art factor.

Photo: From Paramount/Everett Collection.

Metropolis

Fritz Lang’s 1927 German expressionist classic has influenced countless films, not least because it’s a timeless paean to the Art Deco movement. Set in 2026, Metropolis imagines a world of bright lights, towering buildings—like Manhattan on steroids—and impossibly chic robots.

From Everett Collection.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick’s legendary 1968 film about humans traversing the universe lived up to the gargantuan promise of the word “odyssey,” starting with the daring opening scene set to “Thus Spoke Zarathustra.” Everything was immaculately designed, from the pristine spaceship with its glowing red emergency hatch, to the impressively rendered space walks.

From MGM/Stanley Kubrick Productions/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic, which is just about to turn 40, gave us some of the most enduring alien-adventure imagery of our time. From the Lite-Brite flying U.F.O. zipping across the starry sky, to the tableau of workers set against the stunning desert landscape, Encounters is one for the ages.

From Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

E.T.

E.T. himself wasn’t a looker, but the movie sure was. Steven Spielberg grounded the film with looming, exterior shots of Culver City, then flung Elliott’s adventures deep into the sun-dappled heart of the ethereal Redwood National Park.

From Universal/Everett Collection.

Star Wars IV

Let us now pay homage to the film that started a billion-dollar franchise and begat a cottage industry of lesser copycats. From the rosy, double-mooned desert landscape of Tatooine, to the eternal image of the Millennium Falcon hurtling through a starry galaxy far, far away, the first S_tar Wars_ set the stage for an incredibly novel universe.

From Lucasfilm/Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

Blade Runner

Ridley Scott’s original adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s story of rogue replicants presented a deliciously claustrophobic city cluttered with neon lights, inspired by the urgency of Hong Kong. Much of the film’s gargantuan feel can be attributed to ingenious special effects and models painted to look like a life-sized dystopian hellscape.

From Ladd Company/Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

The Matrix

Perhaps the most enduring thing about The Matrix is not its mind-melting plot, but its perfectly curated futuristic-goth aesthetic. The Wachowskis brilliantly baked Neo’s world into dark green settings, a moody backdrop for the leather-clad cyberpunks waging a physical and philosophical war against their enemies.

From Snap Stills/REX/Shutterstock.

Gravity

Alfonso Cuarón scooped up the best-director Oscar for this 2013 film for good reason. The tense, space-bound thriller is largely comprised of special effects, opening with a gorgeously rendered vision of the Earth in all its breathtaking splendor.

From Warner Bros/Everett Collection.

Under the Skin

Few movies are as darkly disarming as Jonathan Glazer’s 2014 thriller, filmed half in Scotland’s bustling city streets, half in its surreal natural landscapes. Scarlett Johansson’s man-eating alien also brings her prey back to a pitch-black cave with a deep pool, like something truly out of a nightmare.

From Everett Collection.

Ex Machina

Alex Garland’s 2015 stunner takes place largely in one home—but what an unbelievably gorgeous home it is, a high-tech wonderland nestled deep into a verdant forest. The brilliant design extends to everything from the luxe-yet-minimalist decor, to the aesthetic of the main robot (played by Alicia Vikander), her translucent body only partially sheathed in skin.

From Everett Collection.

Arrival

Before tackling Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve polished his sci-fi chops with Arrival, the slow-burning vehicle about a linguist trying to communicate with aliens. Though the drama is mostly contained to military quarters and the room with the aliens, Villeneuve shows off a little by featuring a massive, oblong spaceship floating just above the ground of a foggy, grassy field. Bradford Young’s rich cinematography, inspired by the darkly beautiful photography of Martina Hoogland Ivanow, ups the film’s art factor.